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Black kite
चील (cheel)
The raptor that circles over every large Indian city, riding thermals off hot roofs.
👀 How to recognise it
A dark bird of prey with a shallowly forked tail that twists constantly as it steers. It tilts rather than flaps, and gathers in dozens over rubbish grounds and riverbanks.
Where to see it
Delhi
Delhi's kites are fed meat from rooftops around the old city, a practice with both Sufi and Hindu framings. The first year of the Delhi Bird Atlas, run by the Delhi Forest Department with Bird Count India from January 2025, recorded 221 species in the city. Delhi holds one of the densest urban kite populations anywhere.
Shantivan & Parks Beyond Red Fort · Okhla Bird Sanctuary · Lodhi Garden
Haridwar
In several north Indian cities kites are deliberately fed meat from rooftops, a practice with both Sufi and Hindu framings; the birds have adapted their daily movements to it.
Har Ki Pauri
Mumbai
Kites adjust their daily movements to feeding, and in several Indian cities people deliberately throw them meat from rooftops, a practice with both Sufi and Hindu framings.
Juhu Beach · Rani Baug
Varanasi
In several north Indian cities kites are deliberately fed meat from rooftops, a practice with both Sufi and Hindu framings; the birds have adapted their daily movements to it.
Dashashwamedh Ghat · Sarnath Deer Park